Printing machine register control



June 27, 1961 c. o s JR 2,989,918

PRINTING MACHINE REGISTER CONTROL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 13, 1956 FIG. 4.

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June 27, 1961 B. c. POLGLASE, JR 2,989,913

PRINTING MACHINE REGISTER CONTROL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 13, 1956 INVENTOR wggaw FTOR ES.

United States Patent Ofice Patented June 27, 1961 2,989,918 7 PRINTING MACHINE REGISTER CONTROL Burton C. Polglase, Jr., 145 Greenridge Ave, White Plains, NY. Filed Nov. 13, 1956, Ser. No. 621,553 Claims. (Cl. 101248) This invention relates to automatic register control in printing machines. More particularly, the invention is concerned with simultaneous register adjustment of a plurality of printing couples or plate cylinders associated with a common impression cylinder.

In magazine presses and particularly in such presses where a number of plate cylinders are associated with a common large impression cylinder, the registry adjustment may require changing according to the speed of operation of the press. Accordingly, if the machine is adjusted for proper registry at low speed, the adjustments may be found incorrect when operating at a regular running speed, thus necessitating manual adjustments of the registry of the various plate cylinders on a more or less cut and try basis which may involve considerable waste of time and spoilage of paper.

It is an object of the present invention to provide register adjustment such that the various plate cylinders may be registered at a low speed, and the press may then be brought up to full operating speed and any necessary alterations in registry adjustments be made automatically.

A printing machine embodying the invention in a preferred form will now first be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, and the features forming the invention will then be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a five color machine for which the invention is adapted;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation with parts broken away, showing the register control for one of the plate cylinders of the machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on a vertical line through the center of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram.

FIG. 1 shows schematically a printing machine unit comprising an impression cylinder 1, with which are associated plate cylinders 2 for printing on a web W in various colors as desired. The plate cylinders are driven from a large central gear 3, which is supported co-axially with the impression cylinder, but is not driven at the same speed. This gear 3 drives the plate cylinders 2 through gears 4 and intermediate mechanism or gearing as described below and contained within housings 5. As will be understood, the reverse side of the web W may have been printed or may be printed by a similar unit or in any other desired manner.

The drive for each unit comprises a gear 4, previously mentioned, which is carried by a shaft 10 supported in bearings 11 coaxial with the associated plate cylinder 2. A central gear 12 is fixed to the inner end of shaft 10. The shaft 13 of cylinder 2 is journaled in the frames 14 as by means of bearings 15, and has fixed to its outer end, a disc 16 on which planetary pinions 17 are rotatably mounted by means of stub shafts 18. These pinions mesh with the central gear 12, and also with an annular ring gear 19 which is rotatably adjustable in bracket 20 that is fixed tothe frame 14, and supports a bridge member 9 in which the bearings 11 are mounted. As will be understood, the gear 19 being normally stationary, the rotation of gear 12, in rotating the 'pinions 17 which are in mesh with the annular gear 19, M11 cause a planetary movement of these elements, thus rotating disc 16 and cylinder 2 at a definite rate proportionate to the speed of rotation of gear 4. 1

Means for registry adjustment is provided and comprises for each plate cylinder, a motor 25 and worm 26 driven thereby, and cooperating worm wheel teeth 27 formed in the periphery of the annular gear 19. As will be apparent, forward or reverse rotation of motor 25 will shift the angular position of the annular gear 19 and accordingly advance or retard cylinder 2 slightly, so that required register corrections can be made.

Position indicating and limit switch mechanism is provided in connection with each of the gears 19. This includes a cam 28 secured to the gear 19 and cooperating with switches 29 and 30, which are carried on a switch support 3 1 slidable on the bracket member 20, previously referred to, and held in position thereon by a member 32. The switch support 31 is formed with worm wheel teeth 33 on its upper arcuate edge and a worm 34 in mesh with these teeth and operable by means of a hand wheel 35 serves to adjust the position of the switch support 31 as and for the purposes described below.

A pointer 36 carried by gear 19, and cooperating with a scale 37, which is fixed and attached to the frame 20, serves to indicate the position of the gear 19 and a second pointer 38 attached to the arcuate element 31 reading on scale 39 indicates the position of element 31. Scale 39 is adjustable by means of hand wheel 40 and worm 41 engaging worm wheel teeth 42 formed along the edge of this scale.

Referring to FIG. 4, there is indicated, for each cylinder, control circuits associated with power lines L-1 and L-2, including, for each cylinder, a forward adjusting circuit including the limit switch 29 and a forward winding 25F of the motor 25 associated therewith, together with contacts 43 and connector element 44 of a relay 45 which is operated by means of a forward registering switch 45'. As will be understood, closing the registering switch 45 will operate all motors 25 simultaneously until the limit switch 29 associated with any such motor is operated by cam 28, at which time the forward registering circuit is broken for that particular motor. There is also provided a manual switch 46 for each cylinder, by means of which registry is adjusted in the forward direction as desired, or in particular until the limit switch 29 associated therewith is opened.

For each cylinder, there is provided a reverse adjusting circuit including limit switch 30 previously referred to, a reverse winding 25-R of the motor 25, reverse relay contacts 50 and connector 51, all of which are part of the reverse relay 52 controlled by reverse relay switch 52. Individual adjustment in the reverse direction is afforded by means of a switch 53. h

In operation, plates are fixed to the plate cylinders in a conventional manner, and registry is obtained by operating the manual switches 46 and 53 as required, while running at slow and generally inching speed. This will result in the various annular gears 19 occupying somewhat different positions, and the scales 39 are now set by using hand wheels 40, so that pointers 36 point to the zero marks on their respective scales 39. Hand wheel 35 is now operated to shift the switch support 31, to an extent which may be read on the same scale 39 by means of pointer 38, and which is determined on the basis of experience as representing the registry adjustment necessary to compensate for the diflerence between slow speed and high or operating speed of operation. The press is now brought up to speed. Upon pressing relay switch 45', all motors 25 will be operated to rotate the corresponding respective annular gears 19. As the proper registry position for each plate cylinder is reached, the corresponding limit switch 29 will. open, thus cutting out the associated motor 25 at the proper point. If, after bringing up the speed, any cylinder is not registered sufiiciently closely, adjustment may be made by slightly adjusting hand wheel 35 and the associated motor 25 to the required extent. In generahhowever, once the procedure in a given plant is established, the required correction as between slow speed and operating speed for the various classes of work, it becomes highly predicta'ble so that changesof the settings after bringing the press up to speed will ordinarily not be required.

What is claimed is:

1. In a printing machine having a plurality of printing cylinders for printing on a common web and a drive means therefor including for each cylinder a drive member movable for angularly advancing and retarding the said cylinder to obtain registry, the combination with the said movable drive members of registry control mechanism comprising means for moving all the said members simultaneously between predetermined limits corresponding to slow speed and high speed registry positions respectively, and a common control for actuating all the last said means to effect register upon bringing the printing machine up to operating speed.

2. In a printing machine having a plurality of printing cylinders for printing on a common web and a drive means therefor including for each cylinder a drive member movable for angularly advancing and retarding the said cylinder to obtain registry, the combination with the said movable drive members of registry control mechanism comprising motors for moving all the said members simultaneously between predetermined limits corresponding to slow speed and high speed registry positions respectively, adjustable limit means for stopping movement of the said members in the said high speed registry positions, and a common control for actuating all the last said'motors to effect register upon bringing the printing machine up to operating speed.

3. In a printing machine having a plurality of printing cylinders for printing on a common web and a drive means therefor including for each cylinder a drive member movable for angularly advancing and retarding the said cylinder to obtain registry, the combination with the said movable drive members of registry control mechment of the said members in the said high speed registry positions, and a common control for actuating all the last said motors to eifect register upon bringing the printing machine up to operating speed.

4. In a printing machine having a plurality of printing cylinders for printing on a common web and a drive means therefor including for each cylinder a drive member movable for angularly advancing and retarding the said cylinder to obtain registry, the combination with the said movable drive members of registry control mechanism comprising motors for moving all the said members simultaneously between predetermined limits corresponding to slow speed and high speed registry positions respectively, indicators on the said members for showing .the position thereof, adjustable limit means comprising switch supports movable with respect to and readable against the said indicators, switches carried by the said supports and operable by the said drive members for stopping movement of the said members in the said high speed registry positions, and a common control for actuating all the last said motors to elfect register upon bringing the printing machine up to operating speed.

5. In a printing machine having a plurality of printing cylinders for printing on a common web and a drive means therefor including for each cylinder a drive member movable for angularly advancing and retarding the said cylinder to obtain registry, the combination with the said movable drive members of registry control mechanism comprising'means for individually adjusting the said movable drive members to obtain registry at slow speed, and means for automatically moving all the said drive members in predetermined amounts for advancing the respective cylinders through corresponding predetermined angles on bringing up to a higher operating speed.

6. In a printing machine having a plurality of printing cylinders for printing on a common web and a drive means therefor including for each cylinder a drive member movable for angularly advancing and retarding the said cylinder to obtain registry, the combination with the said movable drive members of registry control mechanism comprising means for individually adjusting the said movable drive members to obtain registry at slow speed, means for automatically moving the said drive members in predetermined amounts for advancing the respective cylinders through corresponding predetermined angles on bringing up to a higher operating speed, and means for setting the last said means to adjust the said amount of movement and corresponding angle for each cylinder. I

7. In a printing machine having a printing cylinder and drive mechanism therefor including a drive member movable for advancing and retarding the cylinder to effect registry, the combination with the said member of register control mechanism comprising manually operable means for moving the said member to effect register under slow speed conditions, an adjustable stop for limiting movement of the said member in a high speed registering position, and means for moving the said member from a position determined by the said manually operable means to a position determined by the said stop, whereby the cylinder may be brought into registry at slow speed and then shifted into position for registry at a higher operating speed.

8. In a printing machine having a printing cylinder and drive mechanism therefor including a drive member movable for advancing and retarding the cylinder to eifect registry, the combination with the said member of register control mechanism comprising manually operable means for moving the said member to effect register under slow speed conditions, an adjustable stop for limiting movement of the said member in the cylinder advancing direction at a high speed registering position, and means for moving the said member from slow speed register position determined by the said manually operable means to high speed register position determined by the said stop, whereby the cylinder may be brought into registry at slow speed and then shifted into position for registry at a higher operating speed.

9. In a printing machine having a printing cylinder and drive mechanism therefor including a drive member movable for advancing and retarding the cylinder to effect registry, the combination with the said member of register control mechanism comprising manually operable means for moving the said member to effect register under slow speed conditions, a cooperating member adjustably movable with respect to the said movable drive member, cooperating switch and abutment elements on the intermediate drive member and said cooperating member, a motor for moving the said intermediate drive memher in the cylinder advancing direction and control means for the said motor including the 'said switch, whereby the cylinder may be brought into registry at slow speed, ber. shifted into high operating speed registry position by means of said motor and stopped in the said position by 5 engagement of said switch and abutment.

10. Register control mechanism according to claim 9, comprising also indicator means carried by the movable 2,6 drive member and cooperating member respectively, 2,809, whereby the said cooperating member may be positioned 10 2,866,407

for operating the said switch after the predetermined selected movement of the said intermediate drive mem- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Deck May 12, 1953 Clem Oct. 15, 1957 Hackel et a1 Dec. 30, 1958 

